By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
SBA application can lead to other benefits
Small Business Admin
Special to the News
Updated: Nov 3, 2016, 11:30 AM
Published: Nov 2, 2016, 8:26 PM

SAVANNAH — Georgia disaster survivors who suffered damage from Hurricane Matthew and were referred to the U.S. Small Business Administration could lose some income-based FEMA grants if they don’t submit SBA’s loan application.

FEMA’s Other Needs Assistance grants may cover uninsured losses for furniture, appliances and other essential personal property, even vehicles. Survivors will not be considered for this assistance unless they complete and return the SBA loan application. The information on the application is used to determine eligibility for income-based assistance.

Disaster survivors in Liberty, Long and other counties are encouraged to register with FEMA and, if referred, complete and submit an SBA application, even if they don’t want a loan. The application is used to check eligibility for additional grants.

Survivors should start the loan process as soon as possible, and those who qualify for are under no obligation to accept loans. If approved and the loan is not accepted, the survivor may be ineligible for additional federal assistance.

Survivors do not have to wait for an insurance settlement. A survivor’s insurance policy may not cover all the replacement, repair and rebuilding costs. A disaster loan is available to cover the difference.

To repair or help rebuild a primary residence, a homeowner may borrow up to $200,000 from SBA. Homeowners and renters may borrow up to $40,000 from SBA to replace personal property.

Businesses may borrow up to $2 million for any combination of property damage or economic injury. SBA offers low-interest working capital loans (called Economic Injury Disaster Loans) to small businesses and most private nonprofit organizations having difficulty meeting obligations as a result of the disaster.

Survivors can register with FEMA:

• Online at DisasterAssistance.gov (also in Spanish)

• Download the FEMA mobile app (also in Spanish)

• Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 (FEMA). People who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462-7585. The toll-free numbers are open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The deadline to return SBA loan applications for property damage is Dec. 16. Return economic injury applications next July 17.

For more information about loans, call SBA’s disaster assistance customer service center at 800-659-2955, email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov or visit sba.gov/disaster. TTY users can call 800-877-8339. Applicants may also apply online using the electronic loan application via SBA’s secure website at disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

Survivors may also visit any recovery center where SBA customer service representatives can answer questions, help complete loan applications and close loans. For locations go to asd.fema.gov/inter/locator/home.htm.

Sign up for our E-Newsletters
Record April boosts Savannah's container trade at port
GardenCityTerminal
The Port of Savannah moved 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units in April, an increase of 7.1 percent. - photo by Provided
Bryan County News
Updated: May 23, 2018, 1:59 AM
Published: May 23, 2018, 2:00 AM

The Georgia Ports Authority's busiest April ever pushed its fiscal year-to-date totals to more than 3.4 million 20-foot equivalent container units (TEUs), an increase of 8.8 percent, or 280,000 TEUs, compared to the first 10 months of fiscal 2017.

"We're on track to move more than 300,000 TEUs in every month of the fiscal year, which will be a first for the authority," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "We're also anticipating this to be the first fiscal year for the Port of Savannah to handle more than 4 million TEUs."

April volumes reached 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units, up 7.1 percent or 23,700 units. As the fastest growing containerport in the nation, the Port of Savannah has achieved a compound annual growth rate of more than 5 percent a year over the past decade.

"As reported in the recent economic impact study by UGA's Terry College of Business, trade through Georgia's deepwater ports translates into jobs, higher incomes and greater productivity," said GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood. "In every region of Georgia, employers rely on the ports of Savannah and Brunswick to help them become more competitive on the global stage."

To strengthen the Port of Savannah's ability to support the state's future economic growth, the GPA Board approved $66 million in terminal upgrades, including $24 million for the purchase of 10 additional rubber-tired gantry cranes.  

"The authority is committed to building additional capacity ahead of demand to ensure the Port of Savannah remains a trusted link in the supply chain serving Georgia and the Southeast," Lynch said.

The crane purchase will bring the fleet at Garden City Terminal to 156 RTGs. The new cranes will support three new container rows, which the board approved in March. The additional container rows will increase annual capacity at the Port of Savannah by 150,000 TEUs.

The RTGs will work over stacks that are five containers high and six deep, with a truck lane running alongside the stacks. Capable of running on electricity, the cranes will have a lift capacity of 50 metric tons.

The cranes will arrive in two batches of five in the first and second quarters of calendar year 2019.

 Also at Monday's meeting, the GPA Board elected its officers, with Jimmy Allgood as chairman, Will McKnight taking the position of vice chairman and Joel Wooten elected as the next secretary/treasurer.

For more information, visit gaports.com, or contact GPA Senior Director of Corporate Communications Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855 or rmorris@gaports.com.

Latest Obituaries